Burnham to chair emergency Cobra meeting as UK faces record heat and drought
With nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales in drought, the government convenes its second emergency climate meeting this year to coordinate responses for emergency services and agricultural sectors.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting this afternoon to address the escalating crisis of extreme heat, wildfires, and drought across the United Kingdom. The gathering, the second of its kind this year following a June session, brings together ministers and agency representatives to coordinate a unified government response to the fifth heatwave of the summer.
The meeting comes as the UK experiences a record-breaking number of days reaching 30C, with 35 days recorded so far this year, surpassing the previous national record of 34 days set in 1995. The Met Office has issued rare amber extreme heat warnings for London, parts of the south-east, the East and West Midlands, and South Yorkshire, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 38C on Thursday.
In the lead-up to the session, Burnham highlighted the role of disposable barbecues in igniting many of the current wildfires, particularly in southern regions. He stated that while the specific remedies were yet to be determined, the government intended to issue a clear message urging the public to avoid using such items outdoors during this period of heightened risk.
The scale of the environmental emergency is underscored by drought conditions affecting nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales. Firefighters have responded to more than 950 wildfires across England and Wales this year, with July marking the busiest month on record. The Fire Brigades Union has warned of an unprecedented summer of dangerous wildfires, citing critical shortages in modern personal protective equipment and dedicated water-bombing aircraft.
Criticism of the government’s preparedness has also emerged from within the ruling party. Some Labour MPs have expressed concern that immediate climate adaptation policies lag behind other infrastructure projects, describing adaptation as the poor relation in government strategy. Meanwhile, Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for concrete actions, including taxing fossil fuel giants to fund firefighting resources and committing to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government are among the departments expected to attend. The government has urged the public to heed UK Health Security Agency alerts, drink plenty of fluids, and check on vulnerable neighbours as the heatwave peaks.
